Headwear



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Filed Feb. 1o, 1938 Aug. 8, 1939.

C. H. DOWD HEADWEAR Filed Feb. l0, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR y v gYrZes'ou/,

ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 8, 1939 NET-,ED lSTATES HEADWEAR N. J., a corporation Application February 10, 1938, Serial Nol. 189,747

l Claim.

This invention relates to a novel construction of headwear of a kind especially adapted for womens wear; and the invention has reference, more particularly, to headwear in the form of caps, berets, filets or halos and similar structural forms.

This invention has for an object to provide novel headwear of the kinds mentioned which is made from a knitted open mesh metallic fabric adapted to provide a strong but lightweight article of attractive appearance and through which the color of the wearers hair is disclosed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel headdress which is made of metallic fab- 5 ric knitted from comparatively soft and preferably flat or ribbon-like polished wire; said wire, as knitted into twisted and interlinked loops, being adapted to provide, throughout its area a multiplicity of light reflecting facets, thereby when worn, producing a brilliant scintillating effect as light is directed upon the same and reflected therefrom.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be understood from the following detailed description of the same.

Illustrative embodiments of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a pictorial view of the novel headwear in the form of a cap or beret shown upon the head of the wearer; Fig. 2 is a similar pictorial view of the novel headwear in the form of a let or halo shown upon the head of the wearer.

Fig. 3 shows a length of tubular knit metallic fabric from which the novel articles of headwear are made.

Fig. 4 is a schematic View illustrating the manner in which the tubular knit metallic fabric is manipulated to produce an article of headwear according to this invention in the form of a cap or beret; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, showing the construction of the rolled marginal portion of the article.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view illustrating one method of manipulating the tubular knit fabric in producing an article of headwear according to this invention in the form of a filet or halo.

Fig. 'l is a greatly enlarged fragmentary View of a modified form of knitted metallic fabric from which the novel articles of headwear may be made; and Fig. 8 is a further enlarged fragmentary view showing the formation of the knitted stitch characterizing said modified form of metallic fabric.

PATENT OFFICE of Delaware Similar characters of reference are employed inthe above-described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

The novel articles .of headwear are produced from tubular sleeves I0 of knitted metallic fabric. 5 This fabric is produced on a circular knitting machine from a metallic strand or liexible wire of any suitable metal or metallic alloy which is possessed of a shiny or 4polished surface. Preferably said strand or wire is of flat or ribbonlike 10 form, although wire of any other `desired form or shape may be employed. The strand or wire is also preferably of comparatively soft character, and is so rolled or drawn as to eliminate unduly sharp edges. :15

In making an article of headwear in the form of a cap or beret, as shown e. g. in Fig. l, a tubular knit sleeve Il) of suitable length, and of suitable width to provide a circumferential size adapted to properly receive and accommodate the head of the wearer, is utilized. The upper vend portion of the sleeve IIJ is gathered together land constricted at a point downwardly spaced from the upper extremity thereof, as Il, so as to close the upper open end of said sleeve, thus 25 forming the closed crown portion l2 of the cap or beret. The gathering Il may be secured in any suitable manner, as by stitching, binding or other rneansY (not shown). The upwardly projecting free end portion of the sleeve, above said gathering ll, is utilized to form a top ornament or rosette I3 at the apex of said crown portion l2. This ornament or rosette is likewise retained in the shape to which it is wrought in any suitable manner, as e. g. by stitching (not shown). The lower end portion of the sleeve IB is turned outwardly and then rolled upwardly upon itself and externally over and around the lower part of the crown portion l2, thus providing a roller brim portion I 4 surrounding the head recei'ving open- 40 ing of said crown portion.

The novel article of headwear in the form of a cap or beret constructed as above described produces, when worn, very novel effects. Being made of a knitted metallic fabric, the crown portion I2 thereof provides a body of open interlined loops through which the hair of the wearer is visible, While, by reason of the string or polished surfaces of the metallic strand or wire of which the interlinked loops are formed, the turns and twists of the loops provide a multiplicity of light reflecting facets dispersed over the hair exposed through the loop openings, which imposes upon the hair of the wearer an overlying glittering and scintillating medium which is exceedingly 55 novel and attractive. The glittering and scintillating eifects are also attained in and by the top ornament or rosette I3 and by the rolled mass of the brim portion I 4, but with more densely or heavily massed effect so as to produce a brilliant and striking contrast with the more scattered scintillation of the crown portion l2.

When a crownless form of headwear is desired, such e. g. as one in the form of a filet or halo, a suitable length of the tubular sleeve IB of metallic fabric is merely rolled upon itself, either solely from one end, or from its opposite ends, the latter arrangement providing the double roll halo form l5-|5 shown in Fig. 6. When headwear of this type is worn, the wearers hair is exposed therethrough at the top of the head (see Fig. 2) as well as around the forehead and sides of the wearers face, and contrasted with the hair thus exposed is the glittering and scintillating mass of the rolls of knitted metallic fabric, thus producing a very novel and attractive eiect.

It will be obvious that the novel headwear described possesses all the usual utility attributes of articles of this kind, in that the wearers hair is retained in place and protected, while additionally a highly pleasing ornamental effect is obtained due to the novel formation and light refleeting characteristics of the metallic mesh material from which the headwear is made.

While in Figs. l to 6 inclusive a metallic fabric of conventional knitted stitch is indicated, it will be obvious that more complex fabrics may be utilized. For example, in Figs. '7 and 8 I have shown a metallic fabric wherein a double strand of flexible and preferably ribbonlike wire is so knitted that portions l5 of one strand are gimped or spirally wound around portions l1 of the other strand in connection with the knitted loop formations of the latter. A fabric of this kind possesses, by reason of the gimped portions thereof, a greatly increased power of sparkling light reflection, whereby the scintillating eifects obtained are considerably enhanced.

I believe that all metal knitted fabrics are the most desirable for the production of the novel headwear according to this invention, but it will never-the-less be understood that fabrics knitted from composite yarns including a shiny metallic component, or from plural strands of metallic material and vegetable fiber or the like, may also be employed, since the presence of the metallic material will assure the scintillating effects desired in the finished articles.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A practical and decorative article of headwear comprising, a tubular sleeve knitted from polished ribbonlike metallic wire, the knitted loops of which provide a multiplicity of light reflecting facets, the top end of said sleeve being constrictively gathered and closed at one portion at a point inwardly of the extremity thereof, the extremity of said sleeve upwardly of said constrictively gathered portion being disposed to form an ornamental rosette at the peak of said closed top end portion, portions below said constrictively gathered portion providing an elastic head covering crown body, and the bottom end of said sleeve being rolled back and outwardly upon itself to provide an elastic annularly stretchable head encircling brim member of round cross sectional shape.

CHARLES H. DOWD. 

